Facing the Storm
by beautyfrompain
Summary: Two tribes of people have been at war for generations. But when a devastating storm strikes the land, can they put aside their differences and forget their past?


**_A/N: This was originally a folk tale I did for my English class. Hope you enjoy it!_**

**Facing the Storm**

Sy ducked as a poison-tipped arrow, slim but strong, cut through the air like a knife through warm butter. It struck the tree behind him, mere inches from where his head had been moments before. The young man didn't dare rest, though – the onslaught of poisoned arrows and spears still came. The weapons were not directed at Sy, necessarily, but at the tribe behind the territory lines. The Yellowbellied Sparrows fought back just as hard, from both the land and overhead attacks, but the double attack made the advantage no greater. The small, tree-covered hill which was commonly referred to as no-man's land was a neutral spot between the two villages, but it was several times more dangerous, and one had to be extremely careful not to get caught in the crossfire of the two warring African tribes.

The Yellowbellied Sparrows and the Fighting Shrimp had been at war with each other for years, but never had the disagreements risen to such as open attack. There was deeply set hate that had been held for decades upon decades, grudges kept between them that had never quite been forgiven. Some speculated that the problems had begun after a hot hunting day in the dry grasslands, eight from each group going out after a particularly intelligent cheetah that had become somewhat of a problem. Falling Turtle, Sy's great-something grandfather, started a disagreement with Limping Swan, of the Yellowbellied Sparrows. This quickly turned Falling Turtle to a knifepoint, and under impulse he swiftly pulled from under the offending knife and stabbed Limping Swan from behind, using his own. Limping Swan died from the brawl. The attack came under much speculation from the two tribes, and of course each had completely different views. Limping Swan threatened Falling Turtle first, the Fighting Shrimp pointed out, and so he had the right to attack in kind. But Falling Turtle had apparently had offended Limping Swan enough to threaten him, the Yellowbellied Sparrows argued. And so it began.

Soon, the murder of Limping Swan brought light to other matters, and soon accusations were made. The Fighting Shrimp were accused of conspiring to kill the Yellowbellied Sparrows, and the Yellowbellied Sparrows were accused of holding back food and supplies. Both of the two tribes grew increasingly paranoid of the other, and soon the Fighting Shrimp, indignant with all of the accusations and furious of the rumors, moved out into their own camp. Though space was put between the Yellowbellied Sparrows and the Fighting Shrimp, the fights and disagreements got worse, and both refused to forget the death of Limping Swan.

And finally, the pot of disagreements and anger and resentment and rumors had boiled over. Sy, nor anyone else, knew exactly what the tribes were fighting for. Was it for justice? Revenge? Simply for the sake of warring with one another? The wars continued on for a few more days, even when rain clouds darkened the sky and the air crackled with electricity. Helping his mother with his siblings, Sy was his family's hut when a resounding crack echoed through the camp. Then there was another loud crackle, and then another. Several more followed, and then the thump of several trees falling to the ground. Screams could be heard from miles around, as the large trees around the camps that had stayed rooted to their spots for centuries fell to the ground with a resounding crack, collapsing on the huts. The Fighting Shrimp all evacuated their homes in hope of safety from the fallen trees, but there was no place to go but the open. Ofcourse, the trees were as dangerous as anything else, and the open wasn't exactly safe. In the end, the crowd of frightened people filed into the largest hut they could find.

For the rest of the night, the people of the Fighting Shrimp cowered in the space, listening to the thunder and cracks of falling trees. It was nearly morning when the thunderstorm stopped and the skies cleared. One by one, the women and children filed out of the hut and saw what was left of their camp. There was barely anything left of the space that was not charred black and obliterated, Sy noted. There were very few huts still standing, and the space in which they held their food and weapons had been destroyed. Beyond the camp of the Fighting Shrimp, all of the fools who had continued to fight had been struck by lightning. Though the camp of Sy's tribe was ruined, it turned out that the Yellowbellied Sparrows had it much, much worse. Their camp was little more than cinders or what had once been, and everything else was unusable. Only two-thirds of the tribe population had actually survived.

There was no place for the tribes to go to, no supplies left to keep either alive on their own. After many meetings of the two tribes, tribe leaders, and the two chiefs, several suggestions were made and options were discussed. After the two chiefs of the tribes came together for discussion and they had both reached a compromise, the people of the Yellowbellied Sparrows and the Fighting Shrimp came together to hear what they might have to say. Fearful Lion, chief of the Fighting Shrimp, spoke to the crowd, saying:

"For many years, our tribes have been at disagreement with each other," he said to them. "We have fought over trivial matters, creating problems of all sizes. Angry and offended with one another, we have held on to even the silliest of our grudges, and found deceit and wrongdoing in one another's actions. Terrible storms have struck the area, lightning has caused trees to come down on our camp and rain to ruin everything we have. We have no supplies, no food, no camp, and nothing to protect ourselves with. We could always recreate what was once there, but rebuilding what has been broken is too much work for us to try to do alone. Without help from one another, it will take much longer to build. Being exposed for so long will not work out in our favor, and we will all eventually die out. However, if we were to all put aside our differences and work as one, we could rebuild a community better than the last."

The crowd was so quiet that one would be able to hear a pebble drop, Sy figured. The thought was so alien that everyone was struck speechless. He could not even properly wrap his mind around the concept offered to him. Was it even possible, for the two tribes to forget the past and work together as one to rebuild the camps? Could the Yellowbellied Sparrows and the Fighting Shrimp really live in harmony? These were the questions dominating everyone's minds. After a few stunned moments of silence, someone from the back spoke.

"Can it be done?" The old woman called to the chief.

"Only if we will it to be so," the chief said.

There were a few more moments of silence, and then a young man stepped forward. "I will help rebuild the new community," he said.

"As will I," another man volunteered.

"And I shall help in whatever way I can," Sy's mother called out.

"I will help rebuild."

"I will help."

"I will help, as well."

And, putting aside the past, the Fighting Shrimp and the Yellowbellied Sparrows worked together to build their new community.

The moral of this story is that, sometimes, we have to put aside our disagreements with one another in order to work for a common goal. The two tribes mentioned, the Fighting Shrimp and the Yellowbellied Sparrows, had been fighting with each other for decades. When their camps were destroyed in a storm, and they were left with nothing, their only choice was to get help from their enemies and rebuild, or die. When the tribes decided to forgive all the accusations made, they were able to work together and later coexist in harmony. God does not want us to hold a grudge against our neighbors, nor continually fight with them. If we forgive what others have done to us, we can co-exist with everyone else around us, just as the Yellowbellied Sparrows and the Fighting Shrimp were able to do.


End file.
